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From: Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: Using Mac fonts
Message-ID: <42569@cup.portal.com>
Date: 21 May 91 22:47:51 GMT
References: <49233@ut-emx.uucp>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 49

Todd Drga asked about using Mac fonts on an ST...
 
It's entirely possible to convert Mac fonts to use in GDOS applications, but
it's not a trivial task, nor is it particularly easy to do.
 
The program I've used is FONTZ, a commercial product of Neocept, Inc. It will
convert several different types of fonts into GDOS compatible fonts, includin
Mac and Amiga.  It works well, and allows you to touch up the converted fonts
and even design your own original fonts.
 
The sticky part is getting the fonts into the ST in the first place.
 
My solutions involved using not only the ST, but a Magic Sac Mac emulator
and pc-ditto, the IBM emulator.
 
Most Mac fonts are available in various point sizes.  However, they are
usually appended to one another in one large font file.  FONTZ will only
process the FIRST complete font set in such a group, and ignore the others.
Usually this will be the tiniest point size, making it very difficult to
scale the font to larger, more usable sizes.
 
The solution is to go into Mac emulation mode and use the FONT/DA MOVER
to split up the font and save it as individual files, one for each different
size of the font.
 
This will also take care of the problem of unarchiving the fonts, as you
can run STUFFIT to unstuff or unpack the font in Mac mode.
 
Then you're faced with getting the font onto an ST readable disk.  This can
be accomplished by using the TRANSVERTER program to convert the files onto
ST disks.
 
If you don't have a Mac emulator, your options are very limited.  Most Mac
fonts are either STUFFed or PAKed.  Unfortunately, as far as I know there is
only an UNPIT program for the ST, no unSTUFFers.  If the file you want to
try converting is STUFFed, you can run the IBM emulator, pc-ditto, and use
a PC utility that will unSTUFF the files onto ST readable disks directly.
 
Again, FONTZ will only convert the first font, if there are more than one
font sizes in the file.
 
Another solution would be to have a Mac owning friend split the fonts up
and modem the files to you.
 
And lastly, most Mac fonts are Shareware, not Public Domain.
 
It's a lot of work, but it can be worth it..!
 
BobR